A woman and her two children were able to get out safely when the flames started roaring through their home on 35th Avenue Thursday afternoon, but the home is a lost cause, according to Vernon deputy fire Chief Scott Hemstad.
Already, the community has started to rally behind the family.
A GoFundMe campaign kicked off Thursday evening in order to raise funds to support the family in their journey.
READ MORE: WATCH: Firefighters battle blaze in Vernon home
“They are going to need financial support to get back on their feet and to try to keep their routine as stable as possible,” campaign organizer Kelli Christine wrote.
“They are now without a home and everything that Emma had built for her and her children since moving to Vernon approx (sic) 5 years ago.”
The goal is set at $10,000 and the donations are already beginning to roll in.
Other members of the Vernon community turned to Facebook to offer kind words and ask how they can help. Some offered clothing donations and others furniture.
Around 4 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 26, Vernon firefighters were called to the home on 35th Avenue and 13th Street—across the street from Silver Star Elementary School—to respond to a structure fire.
Upon arrival, deputy fire Chief Hemstad said his crew found one home engulfed in flames a neighbouring home was in danger of also catching. He said the fire had potential to spread to the second home but Vernon Fire Rescue acted quickly to defend the dwelling.
“They quickly pulled the line and protected the exposure so it didn’t spread to the second house,” he said, noting an air conditioning unit and siding was damaged by the blaze. “When more crews arrived, they applied more water to the main structure fire.”
He confirmed the home was a “total loss.”
The cause of the fire and its origin in the home are still under investigation, Hemstad said.
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